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Cozumel Trip Report
Posted by OkieBarb on 12/16/00

trip report (sorry, VERY long)

El Cozumeleno

Day 1 Monday
Spent the night at DFW Holiday Inn Select South so we wouldn’t have to be up before
daylight to catch our 9:30 a.m. flight.  Caught the shuttle to the airport at about 7:30 &
arrived with no problems.  Our Adventure Tours rep met us & directed us to the correct
check-in.  All went smoothly as did our flight directly into Cozumel.  Weather was a little
disappointing, we couldn’t see much but clouds flying in, but it was much warmer in
Cozumel than in Dallas, and the sun did peek through for a while.  Made it through
customs, immigration with no problems.  Our Cozumel A.T. rep., Carlos, met us &
directed us to the van  for El Cozumeleno.  We were able to check in right away even
though it was only 12:30.  The room was absolutely gorgeous.  I can’t say enough about
how well kept and beautiful the entire resort was.  From the wonderful Mexican tile work
to the stained glass windows,  the landscaping, the pools, everything was so beautiful it
was almost overwhelming.  Our room looked directly over the new pool straight to that
blue, blue ocean.  We had lunch (ordered from a menu) in the palapa. & enjoyed the
lovely view.
The weather was cool and cloudy and the wind was really blowing, which made it even
cooler, so we didn’t get into the water, but we certainly enjoyed looking at it.  We went
to the dive shop to inquire about a snorkel tour.  They said the weather looked promising
and we made reservations for Wed.  We also signed up for the free intro. to scuba lesson
in the pool on Tues. morning.  
Day 2 Tuesday
BRRRRRR  Did we really sign up for that scuba intro???  Well it was COLD  in that
pool, but even so we enjoyed the lesson given by Ricardo and think we might want more,
but not today.  After the lesson, we made a bee-line for the spa to get warmed up.   I have
to mention that the breakfasts are wonderful with such a wide variety of foods (yes,
including beans) that anyone should be able to find something to their liking.  The lunch,
ordered from a different menu each day also had enough variation to please even the
picky, and if you needed a fast food fix, there were hot dogs, nachos, hamburgers etc...
available at the snack bar almost any time of the day. Also, the evening buffet was great.
Yes, we did see leftovers from previous meals recycled into new dishes, but if that didn’t
appeal to you there were always plenty of fresh dishes from which to choose.  In my
opinion, as long as it’s done with safe handling techniques, I think it’s a wonderful way
to keep from wasting food. We do it at home, why not use untouched leftover food the
next day?
We went into town in the afternoon, since it was too cold to enjoy the water, but that was
a mistake!  It was wall-to-wall (or street-to-street) people from the cruise ships.  We did
accomplish our goal which was to find Tarzan tours. (Calle 7) We booked a dune-buggy
tour for Thurs. & found out that the owner is a former Oklahoman.  Bought a few
souvenirs & had dinner at Guilvere’s across from La Mission.  We had a wonderful meal
there.  I had grilled shrimp with garlic sauce & Joe had King Crab.  The shrimp were
HUGE and the Crab was more than Joe could eat.  We spent about $35.00 & left very
happy.  
Took a cab back to the resort & stashed our booty in the room.  We just couldn’t seem to
stay inside, even with the cool weather, so we went down to the bar & sampled the Dos
XX cervesa.  We visited with some wonderful fellow Oklahomans, Dave, Bob, Patty &
Michael, from the Tulsa area.  Funny how you have to travel far from home to meet &
appreciate new folks from nearby.  I guess this is a good time to be away from OK.  A
local asked where we were from & when I said Oklahoma, he said he had met several
people from OK  today and asked if they were running a special on trips to Cozumel in
OK this week!!
Day 3 Wed.
We were up early for a good breakfast before our snorkel tour.  The weather looked a
little better, definitely a little warmer, maybe not as many whitecaps on the water, so we
were hopeful we’d have a good day.  Nevertheless, we rented wet-suits from the dive
shop for $10.00 each for a little added warmth.  We took off in the glass-bottom boat
from the pier in front of the hotel at about 10:00.  We had a full boat, about 14 people &
our guide was Sandra.  We snorkeled at Paradise reef, Dzhul-Ha, Chankanaab, and at the
sunken ship.  The water was still a little rough & a couple of people got sea-sick, I was
glad we had taken Dramamine as a precaution, although neither Joe or I usually have a
problem.  We met a nice couple and their 4 yr. old son who were from New York. They
are both in theatre.  We saw a lot of fish (I’m going to have get a book & learn the
names) and Sandra was wonderful about diving down & showing us different things,
including a water worm, and some lobsters. We saw brain coral, and many others that I
can’t name.  The sun finally came out & warmed us a little, but after the second reef, I
started feeling a chill.  We were very glad for our wet-suits. By the time we got to the
sunken ship everyone was a little tired, and some did not go into the water there.  It was
difficult staying right in the area of the ship because of the current and the choppy water,
and I was glad to get back onto the boat.  Our trip back to the resort took about 2 hours
because of the strong head winds, and we were starving when we got back at about 3:00.
After a good HOT shower, we had lunch & then a good long siesta.
Wed. was Mexican fiesta night, and there were wonderful professional dancers who
performed for us.  They set up a portable stage under the palapa & had plastic curtains
around the sides of the palapa to help block out the wind.  The show was a blast, and one
of our fellow Oklahomans, Bob, won the Mexican hat dance contest.  Everyone had a
good time.  After dinner, we went up to the Donatello Kareoke bar.  We felt right at
home with new friends from OK, Arkansas & Michigan.  We all sang & danced & didn’t
embarrass ourselves too badly. ( Or if we did, no one’s telling).  Went for a walk on the
beach & then back to the room about 12:30 or so.
Day 4 Thurs
Finally!! The sun is out & it looks like a beautiful day.  We have our Dune Buggy Tour
set up for today, so we’re up at 7:00 for a good breakfast.  We gathered our snorkel gear,
water, sunblock, bug spray etc....& checked out beach towels, then headed into town.
We got there a little early, but cruise ships were already there, so we just sat on Tarzan
tours porch & enjoyed the sunshine & made friends with the dog.  At about 10:00 they
brought our dune-buggy’s around & fueled them up & stocked them up with cervesa,
cold drinks & ice.  (They have built-in ice chests)  We took off for the east side of the
island at about 10:30.  When we got to Mezcalito’s on the east side, we turned north on a
dirt road.  We were heading about 12 miles in, to a Mayan ruin, Castillo Real. On the
way there, we stopped at a beautiful, wild beach and picked up shells. A little further
down the road, our guide, Omar stopped his buggy and motioned us to come see.  He had
spotted a LARGE snake crossing the road.  The snake was moving very slowly & looked
like he had just eaten.  We were just a short way from an army outpost (made of bamboo
& palm fronds!) and some of the soldiers came with a machete.  They decided to catch
the snake!  They used a stick to pin his head down & then picked him up.  We asked our
guide what they would do with the snake & he said it would be their dinner!!!  The last
we saw of the snake, it was draped around one of the soldiers neck, & he was looking for
something to cook it in.  We continued on, with jungle on one side and gorgeous beaches
with much volcanic rock on the other.  In a couple of  places we saw private property
signs & also some places that looked like young palm (coconut?) trees had been planted.
The jungle had been cut back a little around the trees & it looked like they were in rows.
I meant to ask our guide about it, but forgot--maybe next time.  We arrived at the Castillo
Real at about 12:30.  It is on a point of rock high above the ocean with a fabulous view.
Our guide said it was a small temple, complete with sacrificial alter!  We explored a
little, took a couple pics, had a cervesa & went back the way we came.  The roads were
really rough. Lots of volcanic rock, deep sand & even some mud.  Needless to say, Joe
had lots of fun driving the dune buggy.  We met an ATV tour & I was sure glad we
hadn’t taken that tour.  It would have REALLY been a rough ride on a 4-wheeler.  We
reached our destination for lunch, which was a secluded section of beach about mid-way
between the ruins and the paved road.  This was so great.  Only Joe & I and a nice guy
from Long Island, & our guide, Omar were there.  The water was beautiful & was
protected from undertow by a reef  about 100 yards from shore.  We swam & snorkeled
close to shore & could see the waves breaking on the reef further out, but were too
chicken to try to go to the reef.  We didn’t know how the current would be & it seemed a
long way from shore.  But our guide said it was safe & put on his snorkel gear & led us
out.  He took a boogie board, in case anyone got tired.  This was the greatest snorkeling
we did the entire trip!!!  We saw many fish, conch, a sting ray & the coral was within
touching distance, not 20 or 30 feet down.  We headed back to the beach and had a lunch
of grilled chicken, flour tortillas, salsa, & veggies. Really super food.  I highly
recommend this trip.  It’s a little more expensive than the ATV tour, but well worth it.
On the way back, at my request, we stopped at a shop selling Mexican blankets & bought
a couple as souvenirs for the friends who were taking care of our ranch so we could have
this wonderful vacation.   We got back to town at about 5:30.  The man who owns Tarzan
tours arranged to have us dropped off right at our hotel--great service.  We enjoyed
dinner at the buffet & visited with our fellow Okies.  It was a long day & we turned in
early.
Friday--Day 5  
Our new friends from Oklahoma have to leave today, so we’re just going to hang around
the resort & enjoy their last few hours here.  We had breakfast overlooking the turquoise
blue Caribbean and Dave joined us.  He had been jogging & had picked some lovely
flowers to share with the group.  We shared e-mail addresses & even took a group
picture!!  Sure hope we can keep in touch.  
After saying goodbye, we did what we came here to do, lay in the sun, snorkel & relax!!
Altogether a lazy day!  We made reservations for La Veranda 6:00 seating so we could
finish dinner in time to see the Caribbean show  on the stage by the pool.  The dinner
tables & buffet were set up pool-side so that diners could view the stage.  The
decorations were beautiful.  They had the professional dancers again, with dances from
many areas of the Caribbean.  We had a bird’s eye view from our balcony, but went
stage-side for a few pictures.  
Saturday-Day 6
We decided to rent a car & drive around the island today.  We rented from one of the
agents in the lobby & got a Geo Tracker for $60.00 + $10.00 for insurance.  It was a nice
car, but had little gas, so our first stop was the gas station in town.   We headed on out to
the east side of the island.  We stopped at Coconuts & had a cervesa & enjoyed the view,
high on a cliff over the ocean.  And they do have clean bathrooms!!  We headed on south,
stopping a few times just to look.  We did stop at a little souvenir shop and bought a
couple of things, just to see the little old man smile.  There is no electricity on this side of
the island!  
We walked on the beach opposite the souvenir shop & picked up a few shells.   When we
got back in the car it was full of flys! ugh!!  We had to stop & take the top down to get
them all out.  We headed on south, but skipped Punta Sur.  We could see the lighthouse
from the road, but didn’t want to pay the admission fee.  We were headed to Chankanaab
and getting HUNGRY.  They are building a new highway on the Southwest end of the
island and there are some construction areas which slow things down, but we finally
made it to Chankanaab.  After paying the admission  our first goal is LUNCH.  Joe was
pleased to find hamburgers & frenchfries on the menu & I had the seafood chowder.
Both were excellent, though I found the chowder to be more like gumbo, complete with
rice.  It had every kind of seafood you could imagine, shrimp, fish, crab, squid etc....  We
went on to the archeological area of the park, and then the botanical park area.  It was a
very pleasant way to walk off lunch.  We watched a little of the dolphin show, but I must
confess, I don’t like seeing them confined.  I’m sure they are well taken care of, but not
free.  No different than Sea-World etc.. her in the states, I’m sure.  
We went on to the snorkel area, got a locker & stashed our stuff.  We got into the water
very carefully, it’s all rocks here, no sand.  They do have steps & hand rails, but it’s still
rough on your feet.  We saw all kinds of fish immediately!  It was nice snorkeling, but
there were quite a few people in the water and they had stirred up a lot of debris.  It
wasn’t nearly a crystal clear as we had experienced in other areas.  An underwater
photographer was feeding the fish & took our picture, but when we went to pick it up, I
was a FISH FACE!!!  He had gotten a clear shot of Joe, but where my face should have
been, was a large, striped fish!!  Sorry to say he didn’t make a sale to us!!  
When we headed out, Joe wanted to go back up the east side, he’d enjoyed it so much. I
think you get a clearer view going north, since you are on the right side of the road.  I
don’t think we could ever get tired of that scenery.  The wild spray crashing on the
volcanic rock--and that clear blue water that can’t be described-- it just has to be seen.
When we got into town, we stopped at Cinc de Sole & picked up a few more
souvenirs--we keep thinking of people we forgot!  Back to the resort & dinner.  Every
single night and most mornings we walked on the beach.  
Sunday--day 7
Our last full day here!!  We enjoyed our stay so much, we hate the idea of leaving, but
there is that small matter of making a living to attend to.  The only plans we had for this
day, were to go into town in the evening to see the local festivities.  We took another
easy, beach, pool, hot-tub day.  We even took a siesta!!  Took a walk on the beach and
saw the most beautiful sunset yet!  We got dressed & went to dinner, then caught a cab
into town.  They had a Giant Santa Clause set up and Christmas Lights. They had set up a
stage in the plaza.  I think they were having the school Christmas Program.  We
wandered around listening to beautiful Christmas music & enjoying the children in their
costumes. It was a relaxing evening. The vendors were not nearly as aggressive as they
had been on Tuesday (Cruise ships vs. no cruise ships?) We walked along the waterfront
& then went to Carlos & Charlies just so we could say we’d been there.  It was quiet
there too (but still early). We caught a cab & called it an early night so we could start
packing.
Monday--D-day (departure)
Up early for breakfast & one last walk on the beach.  We had a little time on our hands,
so we finally tried out the minature golf  course there at the resort.  We were so bad!!  No
wonder we didn’t do it sooner.  Oh well, time to go.
After spending 11/2 hrs waiting at the airport, we finally boarded & the flight went fine,
but the attendants told us it was supposed to be 25 degrees in Dallas when we landed!!  
Back to reality.
Is it too soon to go back?